Monday, March 9, 2009
If I could go back and change anything or something that I regret is being too friendly or not strict enough with the students. I pretty much knew I would make this mistake, but it was almost inevitable. Unfortunately, on the first day of the new semester each teacher that I am with wanted me to introduce myself and tell a little bit about myself. Although I think that there is nothing wrong with this, I wish I could change the introduction. I am naturally a person who jokes a lot and is sarcastic. I think the students already thought that I did not look much older than them and that I was a Clemson student who was more like a peer than an authority figure. It did not help that I joked with them on the first day of the semester. It took a few weeks for the students to see that although I joked with them I was still their teacher for the next few months, and I had to set rules and boundaries. Many times when I would have to be strict with them they would say "where's the the Mrs. Jones we know?" It took some time, but now the students accept that I am their teacher and not a friend. I just wish I could have established this to begin with, and not struggle for a few weeks to achieve it.
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I struggle with this as well. I feel that it takes work to balance being laid back but letting students know that you have high expectations for them in class. I think you can do that by just reassuring them that. Maybe saying, this is the time we can joke around. Now that we are working hard I need you to focus, etc. Don't change your personality to fit a "strict" model but reinforce the fact that you still expect them to work hard. You will balance this in time.
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